Canterbury player-coach Kwan Browne says qualifying for the Wembley finals of the Maxinutrition 5s is a good opportunity to raise the club’s profile

Canterbury player-coach Kwan Browne says qualifying for the Wembley finals of the Maxinutrition 5s is a good opportunity to raise the club’s profile.

The city club will face Reading in the last four at Wembley Arena on February 2, with a place in the Sky-televised final at stake, after a third-placed finish after eight matches in the national Premier Division.

Browne admitted: “We had some disappointing results but some good ones too. We definitely improved a lot through the course of the weekend and scored the most goals of any team for the second straight year – something we are proud of.”

He added: “Whoever you get at this stage is going to be difficult but we have the quality to beat anyone.

“Reading is always a difficult game and something tells me it’s not going to be a low-scoring one. I should imagine we’ll be looking at a 15-goal game. I just hope we can come out on top.

“We want to make the final. We want to be in that game televised on Sky. It would be fantastic for the profile of the club if we could do it.

“If both the men and the ladies could compete at Wembley that day then that would be superb and a great opportunity to showcase the club.”

East Grinstead and Holcombe will face-off in the other semi-final and Browne said: “If we were to play Holcombe in the final it would be a big game for Kent but either way it’s going to be great for hockey.

“East Grinstead are a huge club with some great players and they are the defending champions. It would be brilliant to win the title by beating them."